Police Blotter

A man reported to be drinking in his pickup and urinating in the Walmart parking lot Sunday morning was arrested on DUI charges, and police said a loaded firearm was inside the truck, according to Cortez Police Department reports.

The following items are drawn from 16 incident reports released by the Cortez Police Department for Oct. 8 through Oct. 15. An arrest, summons or citation is an accusation, not a conviction, and everyone named is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The Cortez Current updates blotter items when charges are dismissed or cases are resolved.

Thursday, Oct. 8

2:30 p.m., 730 E. Driscoll St. (Montezuma County Jail). Silva Faith, who had an active warrant, was at the jail’s bond door when an officer arrived, according to the report. She was served with a Montezuma County Combined Courts warrant in case 22M0615 and booked.

Friday, Oct. 9

9:06 a.m., alley behind 300 E. Main St. (Ocean Pearl). An officer on patrol recognized Edith Jones and confirmed through dispatch that she had an active warrant. She was arrested without incident and booked into the Montezuma County Detention Center on a Montezuma County Combined Courts warrant in case 26M196.

2 p.m., alley behind 210 E. Main St. (The Piñon Project). Marina Balderama was arrested on a Montezuma County Combined Courts warrant in case 26M465. Police said jail deputies declined to book her because of her level of intoxication; she was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital and then booked.

7:39 p.m., 221 E. Main St. (Wendy’s). An officer responding to a disturbance call contacted Clarence Whiteman, who police said was heavily intoxicated and giving incoherent answers, including a claim that someone had pointed a gun at him. A man driving a pickup with three children aboard told the officer Whiteman had punched the truck’s windows and banged on its sides, and that he had driven over a sidewalk to get away, according to the report. Whiteman said the family had hit him with the truck; the officer found no injuries. Police said Whiteman yelled profanities at the family as they drove off and became combative during the arrest. He was medically cleared at the emergency room and booked into the Montezuma County Jail on a Cortez Municipal Court summons for disturbing the peace. The driver later told police his family was passing through Cortez and that one of his children was badly frightened; he reported no visible damage to the truck.

Saturday, Oct. 10

11:05 a.m., 600 block of South Market Street. A resident reported that a woman who had been staying at her home was intoxicated, yelling and knocking on her door after being told to leave. An officer found Shyian Yazzie in a nearby alley and, according to the report, she appeared intoxicated and tried to walk away after being told she was detained. Police said Yazzie is the restrained party in a protection order, case 24CR085, that bars her from possessing alcohol. The officer found no damage to the home. Yazzie refused a breath sample at the jail, was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital and was booked into the Montezuma County Jail on a Montezuma County Combined Courts summons for violation of a protection order.

11:35 a.m., 200 block of West Coronado Avenue. A caller reported a man lying in the road. By the time an officer arrived, a passerby had helped Jarvis Black to his feet, and Black said he could walk home. Dispatch then advised that Black had an active warrant, and the officer found him lying in a nearby alley. Police said Black was highly intoxicated, could not stand on his own, refused to walk to the patrol car and pushed against the officer with his elbow while being handcuffed with a sergeant’s help. He was taken to the emergency room for medical clearance, where police said he refused to cooperate with staff, and then booked into the Montezuma County Jail on a Cortez Municipal Court warrant.

3:50 p.m., Adams Street and East Arbecam Avenue. An officer on patrol saw a man in the passenger seat of a parked Chevrolet Silverado duck down as the patrol car passed. The officer recognized Jeremiah Maestas, who police said had an active Montezuma County Combined Courts warrant in case 26T391, and arrested him. A search of the truck turned up several small plastic bags with a white residue, along with straws and pieces of foil with burnt residue, according to the report. Maestas was booked on the warrant. Back at the police station, the officer tested the residue for fentanyl and got a negative result; the report says no drug charges were pursued and the items were placed in a locker for destruction.

Monday, Oct. 12

9:27 a.m., 1835 E. Main St. (Walmart). A caller reported a man sitting in his vehicle drinking alcohol and urinating in the parking lot. The officer found James Benno Scheidler in the driver’s seat of a green Toyota pickup with the keys in the ignition and the vehicle switched on, according to the report, and noted a wet spot on the pavement next to the truck. Scheidler told the officer he had had two beers. Police said he showed signs of impairment on roadside maneuvers, declined a preliminary breath test and was arrested for driving under the influence. Before leaving the lot, Scheidler told the officer there was a loaded firearm in the truck; a sergeant secured it, and police said it had a round chambered. Officers also found three cans of an alcoholic beverage in the truck, one of them mostly empty and still cold. Scheidler provided breath samples at the police station and was taken to the Montezuma County Detention Center on a county summons for DUI, DUI per se, prohibited use of a weapon (possessing a firearm while intoxicated) and public indecency. His dog, which was in the truck, was picked up by an acquaintance, and the pickup was left in the Walmart lot with his consent.

Tuesday, Oct. 13

11:58 a.m., 620 E. Montezuma Ave. (Kemper School). An officer on patrol recognized Adriano Buckskin walking nearby and confirmed he had two active warrants, one from Cortez Municipal Court and one from Montezuma County Combined Courts in case 26M5051. Police said he refused a breath test at the jail and was medically cleared before being booked.

2:19 p.m., 17 N. Harrison St. (The Pie Maker). Officers looking for people with outstanding warrants saw Edwin Lehi in front of the restaurant, according to the report. He was arrested on a Cortez Municipal Court warrant, refused a breath sample at the jail, was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital and was booked without incident.

3:29 p.m., North Harrison Street and East Montezuma Avenue. Officers responded to a 911 call about a fight between two women near City Market. Aaliyah Weeks told police the other woman, the girlfriend of Weeks’ ex-boyfriend, grabbed her bag and hit her in the face, and that she walked away, according to the report. The other woman, who had a cut under one eye and a bump on her forehead, told police Weeks walked up, threw a bottle at her and the man she was with, and pushed her down. Based on witness accounts and the other woman’s injuries, the officer determined Weeks was the primary aggressor and arrested her for third-degree assault. Weeks denied attacking anyone and said she was the victim, the report says. She refused a breath sample at the jail, was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital and was booked into the Montezuma County Detention Center on a county summons.

Wednesday, Oct. 14

9:01 a.m., 302 W. Main St. (Conoco). An officer who recognized Brian Gallegos driving a Chevrolet Silverado confirmed he had an active warrant and stopped him at the gas station. Gallegos was booked into the Montezuma County Detention Center on a felony arrest warrant in case 26CR164 and served with a county summons.

9:16 a.m., 865 N. Park St. (Montezuma County Combined Courts). Mitchell Mulnix, who was already in the custody of court deputies, was taken to the Montezuma County Jail and served with a Combined Courts warrant in case 26M0280.

11:22 a.m., 730 E. Driscoll St. (Montezuma County Jail). Edwin Lehi, who had been arrested the day before and was being held for a municipal court appearance, was served with a second warrant, from Montezuma County Combined Courts in case 26M0484, after the officer returned from court.

1:18 p.m., 210 E. Main St. (The Piñon Project). An officer on patrol recognized Waymore Begaye and confirmed he had an active Montezuma County Combined Courts warrant in case 26CR078. He was arrested and booked into the Montezuma County Jail.

Thursday, Oct. 15

4:22 a.m., 10 block of South Beech Street. An officer on patrol recognized Sherman Jones and confirmed he had an active warrant. Police said jail deputies declined to book him because of his level of intoxication; he was medically cleared at Southwest Memorial Hospital and then booked into the Montezuma County Detention Center on a Cortez Municipal Court warrant.

Eleven of the 16 reports say they were drafted with Axon’s Draft One software from the officer’s body-camera audio and reviewed by the officer.